A student asked me for my personal translation of the Anusara invocation.  Here it is…

Om Namah Shivaya Gurave

I deeply honor the presence of the true teacher…the one who resides within me and within all things.

Satchitananda Murtaya

The presence who takes the form of truth, conciousness and complete bliss.

Nischprapanchaya Shantaya

This presence is never absent and full of peace.

Niralambaya Tejase

There is no need for external circumstance for its brilliance to be seen.

______________

http://yogash.wordpress.com/2008/02/12/

“You can’t just chant the chant, you gotta walk the walk” (a very loose Sarah Palin quote). 

I have come to have a deeper relationship with the beautiful Anusara Yoga invocation over the past 4 years of chanting, studying and experiencing life and practice from the tantric perspective.  In its deepest foundation, these words remind me that I have all that I need to navigate life to its richest, most abundant peak.  OM Namah Shivaya helps me to remember that I am my best teacher.  In times past, I would seek out others to tell me what it is that I did not want to tell myself.  I still do it, but not to the extent that I did previously.  Now, I see my teachers and guides as resources who help to confirm and affirm in the moments when I need some support. 

The presence of the inner teacher takes the form of truth, conciousness and supreme bliss.  I am still wrestling myself with the concept of truth.  Many of my passing years have been spent seeking truth:  from my family, from myself, from my friends, from the world around me.  I am starting to realize that the truth is somewhere between the words on the page, the vision that is before me and the reality of it all.  In fact, reality is simply not truth, it’s just reality.  (Chew on that for a while.)  Conciousness is a little easier to grasp, especially when I move more thoughtfully and slowly.  Ananda, or bliss, is my favorite, of course!  Satchitanada, implies that the bliss is always a form of the triad.  It is present even when we may be at our wit’s end and don’t see an end to the struggle.  Bliss is always at the core, it is our work to open our eyes to see it in all forms. 

Nischprapanchaya Shantaya is a statement that this presence of peace is always accessible.  It is always there…like in the poem, “Footprints”.  The author asked God why she walked alone during the hardest time in her life, looking back to the footprints in the sand.  God replied that it was in fact, His footprints that appeared while she was being carried.  This deep peace has the potential to carry us, if we release our ego and mind’s hold on the situation.  When I soften and sit back for a moment, I see the peace is present.

Niralambaya Tejase.  The radiance is always there, it does not matter the external circumstance.  This is an interesting one to play with.  Sometimes, in my most difficult situations, I ask to see the brilliance more clearly.  It is there, again, it is our work to look for it and access it always.  On my altar in my living room, I have a picture collage from a student that spells out TEJASE.  It is my reminder of my intention right now…to always see the brilliance that is within me and that surrounds me.